1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a control apparatus, a control method, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a printing market, there is a demand for an image forming apparatus that forms images corresponding to various types of sheets, and a post-processing apparatus that executes post-processing for a sheet on which an image has been formed. The image forming apparatus should be able to form optimal images on sheets having various characteristics in basic weight (weight), shape, and surface texture, such as plain paper, recycled paper, thin paper, color paper, thick paper, coated paper, bond paper, an overhead projector (OHP) sheet, label paper, a postcard, tab paper, and punched paper.
The post-processing apparatus should be able to post-process a bundle of sheets (sheet bundle) on which images have been formed into various products. As the post-processing, there are stapling, saddle stitch binding processing, and case binding processing. In the post-processing, processing is executed for the sheet bundle, and thus a difference in sheet type greatly affects the number of post-processable sheets.
For example, even a stapler, which can staple the stack of 150 sheets in the case of plain paper, may be allowed to staple the stack of sheets only up to 100 in the case of thick paper. To deal with this problem, there has been developed a method that limits stapling on the number of staplable sheets for all types of sheets, which the operations of the image forming apparatus and the post-processing device are guaranteed.
By this method, operations can surely be performed for all types of sheets, and a situation where stapling is executed for a sheet bundle exceeding stapler performance to cause a stapling failure can be prevented. However, the method uniformly limits the numbers of sheets for all the sheets. As a result, the limits are too excessive for the types of sheets (e.g., thin paper) originally permitting stapling of a greater number of sheets.
There is a method that, rather than uniformly limiting the numbers of post-processable sheets for all the sheets, can set the number of sheets. In a mode that permits only a service engineer to make adjustment (service mode), the number of post-processable sheets can be adjusted/set for each type of a sheet.
For example, there is provided a service mode where the numbers of sheets to be limited are set according to sizes of sheets so that stapling is permitted up to 100 in the case of a sheet smaller than a fixed size such as A4 or LTR, and up to 50 in the case of sheets of larger sizes. In this service mode, the service engineer adjusts the numbers of sheets when necessary.
Further, for example, there is provided a service mode where the numbers of sheets to be limited are set according to types of sheets so that case binding (glue binding) is permitted up to 200 in the case of thin paper or plain paper, and up to 10 in the case of thick paper (thick paper 1 to thick paper 6). In this service mode, the service engineer widens the limits only for necessary types of sheets as needed.
The operations are enabled by adjustment carried out by the service engineer. In some cases, the service engineer carries out adjustment based on user's prior agreement that restrictions may be imposed. The restrictions may be reduction of stapling accuracy and an increase of an occurrence rate of jamming during stapling.
However, in a Print On Demand (POD) market, there are many cases where the number of products barely exceeding an upper limit are to be produced. Therefore, in the case of the products, the products are finally inspected to check finishing. Thus, in the post-processing, there is a strong demand for removing limits imposed on the numbers of sheets.
Thus, the measures based on the service mode have been acceptable in the POD market. However, from the standpoint of service costs, when there is a request from the user, service engineer's visit becomes necessary, thus generating maintenance costs.
Japanese Patent No. 4497543 discusses a method that does not require service engineer's visit but provides a screen to enable the user to set the number of sheets. The method provides the screen so that inhibited post-processing can be executed on recording paper, or the number of limited sheets can be changed to a larger value, and the user can expand operations by presetting via the screen.
According to the method discussed in Japanese Patent No. 4497543, the user can freely input a setting value relating to the fine number of sheets for each sheet (recording medium) without service engineer's visit. Thus, there are no service maintenance costs. However, when a job of the number of sheets exceeding the user's setting value is input, control is performed not to execute any post-processing. As a result, to acquire an output intended by the user, time and labor is expended to change the setting value relating to the number of sheets according to the job.